After dinner, Riven disappeared into his bedroom without a word.
Iris quietly cleaned the dishes, scrubbed the counters, and then sorted the clothes and toiletries she had brought from the mall. When everything was neatly folded away, she carried her bundle to the bathroom.
Steam filled the small room as she showered—her first real one in days. The warm water stung against her bruises, but it felt like washing off a layer of filth she’d carried too long. She dried herself carefully, pulled on a clean shirt and shorts, and stepped back into the hall.
For the first time that day, she was… free.
She wandered aimlessly through the house, every step cautious. The television was there, but she didn’t dare touch it—if Riven caught her, the punishment would be worse than hunger. So instead, she slipped outside into the garden.
The grass was soft beneath her fingers. The evening breeze cooled her damp hair. For a moment, she forgot herself—pulling at blades of grass, watching clouds move lazily above. A sigh escaped her lips, heavy with boredom and exhaustion.
Then movement caught her eye.
A soft meow.
A cat padded toward her, tail high. Iris’s face lit up without her realizing it. She reached out, and the creature pressed its head against her palm. She smiled—genuinely—for the first time in what felt like years.
But she wasn’t alone.
A tall man stood at the edge of the garden, watching. His smile lingered too long, his gaze tracing her in a way that made her stomach twist. Still, Iris didn’t speak. She only kept stroking the cat, the joy quickly dimming under the stranger’s stare.
Upstairs, Riven shut his laptop with a snap. His shoulders ached from hours bent over work. He stretched, moved toward the tall glass window, and glanced outside.
The sight hit him like a blade.
Iris—sitting at the entrance, smiling, playing with a cat. And beside her, a man. Staring.
Riven’s blood ignited instantly.
He didn’t think. He didn’t breathe. He stormed out, his steps sharp against the marble until he reached the garden.
“What the fuck is going on here?” His voice cut through the air like a whip.
Iris jumped, her smile vanishing, the cat slipping from her hands. She stood trembling, voice stuttering.
“C-C-Cat…” She pointed weakly, eyes dropping to the ground.
Riven’s gaze snapped to the stranger.
The man raised his hands quickly, a nervous smile tugging at his lips.
“Oh—hey. I just moved into the house next door yesterday. My cat wandered over here, so I came to get him back. I thought she was… your girlfriend?” His tone tilted upward, uncertain, almost taunting.
The word burned in Riven’s ears. Girlfriend?
The stranger’s eyes lingered on Iris—hungry, too familiar. Riven’s jaw tightened until it ached. He wanted to break the man’s face right there, to rip out his throat for daring to look at her like that. But he couldn’t. Not here. Not now.
This place was supposed to be a cover. He couldn’t afford unnecessary attention. Not yet.
“Go inside,” Riven ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Iris nodded quickly and bolted, her bare feet smacking against the cold floor as she disappeared into the house.
The man’s eyes followed her retreating figure. He smiled faintly, then turned back.
“It was nice meeting you,” he said casually, though his gaze still slid sideways—toward the door Iris had vanished through.
Riven’s stare could’ve frozen steel.
The man finally left, scooping up the cat and walking toward his house.
Riven waited until he was gone. Only then did he step back inside, his fury simmering, mind already calculating.
I’ll deal with him tonight.